Ruthless Sabalenka sets up Navarro quarter-final

Emma Navarro will face title favourite Aryna Sabalenka in her first Grand Slam semi-final after the two claimed statement wins at the US Open.

American Navarro came back from a 5-1 second-set deficit to beat Spain's Paula Badosa 6-2 7-5 in front of a partisan New York crowd.

World number two Sabalenka then claimed a statement victory, motoring past Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen 6-1 6-2.

Belarusian Sabalenka reached the final last year, losing to Coco Gauff, but she looks in superb form to claim another Slam title to go with her two Australian Open triumphs.

She dropped just five games in beating Navarro in the fourth round of the French Open in June, but Navarro won their sole hard-court match at Indian Wells earlier in the year.

Sabalenka jokingly offered to buy the crowd drinks if they supported her during Thursday's semi-final against Navarro.

"OK guys, drinks on me - and please give me some support in the next match," she laughed.

"She [Navarro] is a really good player. We had two battles, they were really close."

Despite world number one Iga Swiatek still being in the draw, Sabalenka is many people's pick for the title at Flushing Meadows.

Her hard-hitting game and the pacey courts in New York means she can hit her opponents out of the match - something she did with style against Zheng.

In a highly-anticipated rematch of this year's Australian Open final, Sabalenka was ruthless, hitting 16 winners to Zheng's nine and saving the one break point she faced.

Her forehand was particularly devasting, drawing a series of errors from the Chinese seventh seed, who also struggled to find her serve.

The victory marks a ninth major semi-final for Sabalenka and a fourth in a row in New York.

The 26-year-old also the youngest woman to reach four consecutive singles semi-finals at the US Open since Venus Williams in 2002.

In contrast to Sabalenka, Navarro had only won one match at the main stage of a Grand Slam before this year - but she has got better and better in a breakout 2024.

She reached the third round of the Australian Open, the last 16 at the French Open, the quarter-finals at Wimbledon and now the semi-finals of her home Slam.

Navarro ended Gauff's title defence in the fourth round here - having beaten her at Wimbledon in July - and was just as impressive in seeing off Badosa.

Badosa produced two double-faults in her first service game to help Navarro take an early advantage, and also gifted two more double-faults in the eighth game as the American eased to the opening set.

However, Badosa fought back and looked in control with a double break advantage in the second set.

She twice served for the set, but, at times looking on the verge of tears, the 26th seed's game fell apart, with Navarro clinching six games in a row to progress.

Navarro, who was born in New York, thanked her father, Ben, a billionaire businessman who encouraged her to take up the sport, in her post-match interview.

"I want to say thanks to my dad because he saw a vision from when I was really young," Navarro said.

"He knew maybe I was a little bit ADHD or something to be sat in a classroom or in a 9-5 and I think he saw something in me from a young age.

"Thanks dad for sending me on this journey."

Badosa had also been bidding for a first Grand Slam semi-final appearance, just months after almost quitting the sport because of a long-term back problem.

The former world number two admitted she was a "complete disaster" after her second-set collapse left her feeling like "an ant".

"I never had the momentum. It was 5-1, but I never felt myself," said Badosa, playing in her first quarter-final in the city where she was born.

"Losing a set from 5-1 up, I never did that before. I lost 20 points almost in a row - it's very weird."